Timing configuration of a layer-1 millimeter wave repeater

ABSTRACT

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a base station may receive, from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, the second interface being different from the first interface. The base station may determine an operation mode for the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, and may communicate with the repeater via the first interface or the second interface. In some aspects, a repeater may transmit to a base station via a first interface, information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, and may communicate via the first interface or via a second interface in accordance with an indicated operation mode, the second interface being different from the first interface. Numerous other aspects are provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Patent Application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 11,606,721,issued on Mar. 14, 2023, entitled “TIMING CONFIGURATION OF A LAYER-1MILLIMETER WAVE REPEATER,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/812,068, filed on Feb. 28, 2019, entitled“TIMING CONFIGURATION OF A LAYER-1 MILLIMETER WAVE REPEATER,” andassigned to the assignee hereof. The disclosure of the prior Applicationis considered part of and is incorporated by reference in this PatentApplication.

INTRODUCTION

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wirelesscommunication, and more particularly to timing configuration for amillimeter wave repeater.

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employmultiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication withmultiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth,transmit power, and/or the like). Examples of such multiple-accesstechnologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multipleaccess (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access(OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access(SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multipleaccess (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE).LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by theThird Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations(BSs) that can support communication for a number of user equipment(UEs). A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station (BS)via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers tothe communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverselink) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will bedescribed in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, agNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP),a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, and/or the like.

The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level. New radio (NR), which may also bereferred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standardpromulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR isdesigned to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improvingspectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use ofnew spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards usingorthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix(CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g.,also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) onthe uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues toincrease, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE and NRtechnologies. Preferably, these improvements may be applicable to othermultiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards thatemploy these technologies.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a basestation, may include receiving, from a repeater having a first interfaceand a second interface, information associated with one or morecapabilities of the repeater, the second interface being different fromthe first interface; determining an operation mode for the repeaterbased at least in part on the information associated with the one ormore capabilities of the repeater, the operation mode being determinedto be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operationmode; and communicating with the repeater via at least one of the firstinterface or the second interface in accordance with the determinedoperation mode.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by arepeater, may include transmitting, to a base station via a firstinterface, information associated with one or more capabilities of therepeater; and communicating via at least one of the first interface or asecond interface in accordance with an operation mode, the secondinterface being different from the first interface, wherein theoperation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode.

In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may include amemory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory andthe one or more processors may be configured to receive, from a repeaterhaving a first interface and a second interface, information associatedwith one or more capabilities of the repeater, the second interfacebeing different from the first interface; determine an operation modefor the repeater based at least in part on the information associatedwith the one or more capabilities of the repeater, the operation modebeing determined to be one of an asynchronous operation mode or asynchronous operation mode; and communicate with the repeater via atleast one of the first interface or the second interface in accordancewith the determined operation mode.

In some aspects, a repeater for wireless communication may include amemory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory andthe one or more processors may be configured to transmit, to a basestation via a first interface, information associated with one or morecapabilities of the repeater; and communicate via at least one of thefirst interface or a second interface in accordance with an operationmode, the second interface being different from the first interface,wherein the operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or asynchronous operation mode.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a base station,may cause the one or more processors to receive, from a repeater havinga first interface and a second interface, information associated withone or more capabilities of the repeater, the second interface beingdifferent from the first interface; determine an operation mode for therepeater based at least in part on the information associated with theone or more capabilities of the repeater, the operation mode beingdetermined to be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode; and communicate with the repeater via at least one ofthe first interface or the second interface in accordance with thedetermined operation mode.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a repeater, maycause the one or more processors to transmit, to a base station via afirst interface, information associated with one or more capabilities ofthe repeater; and communicate via at least one of the first interface ora second interface in accordance with an operation mode, the secondinterface being different from the first interface, wherein theoperation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for receiving, from a repeater having a first interface and asecond interface, information associated with one or more capabilitiesof the repeater, the second interface being different from the firstinterface; means for determining an operation mode for the repeaterbased at least in part on the information associated with the one ormore capabilities of the repeater, the operation mode being determinedto be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operationmode; and means for communicating with the repeater via at least one ofthe first interface or the second interface in accordance with thedetermined operation mode.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for transmitting, to a base station via a first interface,information associated with one or more capabilities of a repeater; andmeans for communicating via at least one of the first interface or asecond interface in accordance with an operation mode, the secondinterface being different from the first interface, wherein theoperation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer programproduct, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, basestation, wireless communication device, and processing system assubstantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated bythe accompanying drawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conceptionand specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method ofoperation, together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposesof illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limitsof the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can beunderstood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarizedabove, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustratedin the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appendeddrawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure andare therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for thedescription may admit to other equally effective aspects. The samereference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similarelements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of awireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a basestation in communication with a UE in a wireless communication network,in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating examples of radio access networks, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of communicating using amillimeter wave repeater, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating example millimeter waverepeaters, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with timingconfiguration of a millimeter wave repeater, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating example processes associatedwith timing configuration of a millimeter wave repeater, in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mmW repeater may include components that enable receiving a signal onan RX antenna associated with a high frequency (HF) interface (e.g., ammW interface), amplifying the power of the signal using a gaincomponent, and transmitting the amplified signal on a TX antennaassociated with the HF interface. These operations may be orchestratedand/or controlled by a controller. In some aspects, the mmW repeater mayinclude a communication component that enables communication via a lowfrequency (LF) interface (e.g., an interface that uses a sub-6 gigahertz(GHz) frequency) for transmission or reception of information associatedwith such control signals (e.g., to or from one or more base stations).

At a given time, a mmW repeater may operate in an asynchronous operationmode or, if capable, a synchronous operation mode. The mmW repeater mayhave the capability to operate in the synchronous operation mode whenthe mmW repeater has an internal clock (e.g., based at least in part ona crystal oscillator associated with an LF interface) that is or can besynced to a clock of a base station, and can be used to setconfigurations of the HF interface of the mmW repeater. Notably, in somecases, accuracy of the internal clock of the mmW repeater may be limited(e.g., since a narrow-band signal may be for its synchronization), andhence may not be sufficiently accurate (e.g., at sample-level) for theHF interface. However, the accuracy of the internal clock may besufficient for HF symbol-level synchronization. In the asynchronous modeof operation, a configuration setting of the HF interface may rely on(i.e., be triggered by) receipt of a control command (e.g., rather thanbased at least in part on a timing configuration included in the controlcommand). In other words, operation in the asynchronous operation modemay cause the mmW repeater to implement a command upon receipt of thecontrol command (e.g., such that the receipt of the control command is atrigger that causes the mmW repeater to implement the command).

Timing and synchronization capabilities may vary among mmW repeaters.For example, whether a given mmW repeater has the capability to operatein the synchronous mode of operation may vary among the mmW repeaters.Further, among those mmW repeaters having the capability to operate inthe synchronous mode, capabilities of synchronous operation may vary.These timing and synchronization capabilities maybe taken into accountby a base station when the base station is to determine a timingconfiguration for a given mmW repeater. Some aspects described hereinprovide techniques and apparatuses for a timing configuration of a mmWrepeater. In some aspects, a repeater may transmit to a base station viaa first interface (e.g., an LF interface), information associated withone or more capabilities of the repeater, where the repeater has thefirst interface and a second interface (e.g., an HF interface). In someaspects, the base station may receive the information associated withthe one or more capabilities of the repeater, and may determine anoperation mode for the repeater based at least in part on theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities of therepeater, where the operation mode is one of an asynchronous operationmode or a synchronous operation mode. In some aspects, the base stationand the repeater may communicate via at least one of the first interfaceor the second interface in accordance with the operation mode.

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to any specific structure or function presented throughoutthis disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on theteachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scopeof the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosuredisclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined withany other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intendedto cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. Itshould be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed hereinmay be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented withreference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses andtechniques will be described in the following detailed description andillustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules,components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, and/or the like(collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may beimplemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whethersuch elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem.

It should be noted that while aspects may be described herein usingterminology commonly associated with 3G and/or 4G wireless technologies,aspects of the present disclosure can be applied in othergeneration-based communication systems, such as 5G and later, includingNR technologies.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which aspectsof the present disclosure may be practiced. The wireless network 100 maybe an LTE network, a 5G or NR network, and/or the like. The wirelessnetwork 100 may include a number of BSs 110 (shown as BS 110 a, BS 110b, BS 110 c, and BS 110 d) and other network entities. A BS is an entitythat communicates with user equipment (UEs) and may also be referred toas a base station, a NR BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G node B (NB), an accesspoint, a transmit receive point (TRP), and/or the like. Each BS mayprovide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a BS and/or a BSsubsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in whichthe term is used.

A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, afemto cell, and/or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover arelatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius)and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. Apico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell maycover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allowrestricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g.,UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as apico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or ahome BS. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a BS 110 a may be a macro BSfor a macro cell 102 a, a BS 110 b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a BS 110 c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102 c. A BS maysupport one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB”, “basestation”, “NR BS”, “gNB”, “TRP”, “AP”, “node B”, “5G NB”, and “cell” maybe used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and thegeographic area of the cell may move according to the location of amobile BS. In some examples, the BSs may be interconnected to oneanother and/or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) inthe wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfacessuch as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the likeusing any suitable transport network.

Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station isan entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstreamstation (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to adownstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be aUE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown inFIG. 1 , a relay station 110 d may communicate with macro BS 110 a and aUE 120 d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110 a and UE120 d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relaybase station, a relay, and/or the like.

Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs ofdifferent types, e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, and/orthe like. These different types of BSs may have different transmit powerlevels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interferencein wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have a high transmitpower level (e.g., 5 to 40 Watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relayBSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 Watts).

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and may providecoordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 maycommunicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicatewith one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via a wireless orwireline backhaul.

UEs 120 (e.g., 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f, and/or thelike) may be dispersed throughout wireless network 100, and each UE maybe stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as an accessterminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station,and/or the like. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wirelesscommunication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordlessphone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gamingdevice, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device orequipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches,smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g.,smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music orvideo device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor,smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, a globalpositioning system device, or any other suitable device that isconfigured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolvedor enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEsinclude, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters,monitors, location tags, and/or the like, that may communicate with abase station, another device (e.g., remote device), or some otherentity. A wireless node may provide, for example, connectivity for or toa network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellularnetwork) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may beconsidered Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and/or may be implementedas NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) devices. Some UEs may beconsidered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be includedinside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as processorcomponents, memory components, and/or the like.

In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a givengeographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT andmay operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to asa radio technology, an air interface, and/or the like. A frequency mayalso be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, and/or the like.Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area inorder to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs.In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120 a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g.,without using a base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate withone another). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate usingpeer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D)communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which mayinclude a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastructure(V2I) protocol, and/or the like), a mesh network, and/or the like. Inthis case, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resourceselection operations, and/or other operations described elsewhere hereinas being performed by the base station 110.

In some aspects, millimeter wave (mmW) repeater 140 (sometimes referredto herein as a repeater 140) may receive an analog millimeter wavesignal from a base station 110, may amplify the analog millimeter wavesignal, and may transmit the amplified millimeter wave signal to one ormore UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120 f). In some aspects, the mmWrepeater 140 may be an analog mmW repeater, sometimes also referred toas a layer-1 mmW repeater. Additionally, or alternatively, the repeatermmW 140 may be a wireless transmit receive point (TRP) acting as adistributed unit (e.g., of a 5G access node) that communicateswirelessly with a base station 110 acting as a central unit or an accessnode controller (e.g., of the 5G access node). The mmW repeater mayreceive, amplify, and transmit the analog mmW signal without performinganalog-to-digital conversion of the analog mmW signal and/or withoutperforming any digital signal processing on the mmW signal. In this way,latency may be reduced and a cost to produce the mmW repeater 140 may bereduced. Additional details regarding mmW repeater 140 are providedelsewhere herein.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the base station 110 may include a communicationmanager 115. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, thecommunication manager 115 may receive a report from mmW repeater 140that includes a first interface and a second interface, the secondinterface being different from the first interface, and the reportincluding information associated with timing and one or moresynchronization capabilities of the repeater; determine an operationmode for mmW repeater 140 based at least in part on the report; andindicate the operation mode to the repeater via the first interface.Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 115 mayperform one or more other operations described herein.

As indicated above, FIG. 1 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a design 200 of base station 110 and UE120, which may be one of the base stations and one of the UEs in FIG. 1. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234 a through 234 t,and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252 a through 252 r, where ingeneral T≥1 and R≥1.

At base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from adata source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation andcoding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channelquality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encodeand modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS(s)selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmitprocessor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-staticresource partitioning information (SRPI) and/or the like) and controlinformation (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and/orthe like) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmitprocessor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals(e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) and synchronizationsignals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondarysynchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing(e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overheadsymbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide Toutput symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232 t. Eachmodulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., forOFDM and/or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, andupconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Tdownlink signals from modulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmittedvia T antennas 234 a through 234 t, respectively. According to variousaspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals canbe generated with location encoding to convey additional information.

At UE 120, antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signalsfrom base station 110 and/or other base stations and may providereceived signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r,respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify,downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples.Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., forOFDM and/or the like) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254 a through 254 r,perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, andprovide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g.,demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information andsystem information to a controller/processor 280. A channel processormay determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signalstrength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ),channel quality indicator (CQI), and/or the like. In some aspects, oneor more components of UE 120 may be included in a housing.

On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., forreports comprising RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, and/or the like) fromcontroller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generatereference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols fromtransmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 ifapplicable, further processed by modulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g.,for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, and/or the like), and transmitted to basestation 110. At base station 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 andother UEs may be received by antennas 234, processed by demodulators232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and furtherprocessed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and controlinformation sent by UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide thedecoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information tocontroller/processor 240. Base station 110 may include communicationunit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communicationunit 244. Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294,controller/processor 290, and memory 292.

Controller/processor 240 of base station 110 and/or any othercomponent(s) of FIG. 2 may perform one or more techniques associatedwith timing configuration for a mmW repeater, as described in moredetail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor 240 of basestation 110 and/or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform ordirect operations of, for example, process 700 of FIG. 7 , process 800of FIG. 8 , and/or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 maystore data and program codes for base station 110, respectively. Ascheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlinkand/or uplink.

In some aspects, the base station 110 may include means for receiving,from mmW repeater 140 having a first interface and a second interface,information associated with one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater140, the second interface being different from the first interface;means for determining an operation mode for mmW repeater 140 based atleast in part on the information associated with the one or morecapabilities of the mmW repeater 140, the operation mode beingdetermined to be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode; means for communicating with the mmW repeater 140 via atleast one of the first interface or the second interface in accordancewith the determined operation mode; and/or the like. Additionally, oralternatively, the base station 110 may include means for performing oneor more other operations described herein. In some aspects, such meansmay include the communication manager 115. In some aspects, such meansmay include one or more components of the base station 110 described inconnection with FIG. 2 .

As indicated above, FIG. 2 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating examples 300 of radio access networks,in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.

As shown by reference number 305, a traditional (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE,and/or the like) radio access network may include multiple base stations310 (e.g., access nodes (AN)), where each base station 310 communicateswith a core network via a wired backhaul link 315, such as a fiberconnection. A base station 310 may communicate with a UE 320 via anaccess link 325, which may be a wireless link. In some aspects, a basestation 310 shown in FIG. 3 may correspond to a base station 110 shownin FIG. 1 . Similarly, a UE 320 shown in FIG. 3 may correspond to a UE120 shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown by reference number 330, a radio access network may include awireless backhaul network, sometimes referred to as an integrated accessand backhaul (IAB) network. In an IAB network, at least one base stationis an anchor base station 335 that communicates with a core network viaa wired backhaul link 340, such as a fiber connection. An anchor basestation 335 may also be referred to as an IAB donor (or IAB-donor). TheIAB network may include one or more non-anchor base stations 345,sometimes referred to as relay base stations or IAB nodes (orIAB-nodes). The non-anchor base station 345 may communicate directlywith or indirectly with (e.g., via one or more non-anchor base stations345) the anchor base station 335 via one or more backhaul links 350 toform a backhaul path to the core network for carrying backhaul traffic.Backhaul link 350 may be a wireless link. Anchor base station(s) 335and/or non-anchor base station(s) 345 may communicate with one or moreUEs 355 via access links 360, which may be wireless links for carryingaccess traffic. In some aspects, an anchor base station 335 and/or anon-anchor base station 345 shown in FIG. 3 may correspond to a basestation 110 shown in FIG. 1 . Similarly, a UE 355 shown in FIG. 3 maycorrespond to a UE 120 shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown by reference number 365, in some aspects, a radio accessnetwork that includes an IAB network may utilize millimeter wavetechnology and/or directional communications (e.g., beamforming,precoding and/or the like) for communications between base stationsand/or UEs (e.g., between two base stations, between two UEs, and/orbetween a base station and a UE). For example, wireless backhaul links370 between base stations may use millimeter waves to carry informationand/or may be directed toward a target base station using beamforming,precoding, and/or the like. Similarly, the wireless access links 375between a UE and a base station may use millimeter waves and/or may bedirected toward a target wireless node (e.g., a UE and/or a basestation). In this way, inter-link interference may be reduced.

In some aspects, an IAB network may support a multi-hop wirelessbackhaul. Additionally, or alternatively, nodes of an IAB network mayuse the same radio access technology (e.g., 5G/NR). Additionally, oralternatively, nodes of an IAB network may share resources for accesslinks and backhaul links, such as time resources, frequency resources,spatial resources, and/or the like. Furthermore, various architecturesof IAB nodes and/or IAB donors may be supported.

The configuration of base stations and UEs in FIG. 3 is shown as anexample, and other examples are possible. For example, one or more basestations illustrated in FIG. 3 may be replaced by one or more UEs thatcommunicate via a UE-to-UE access network (e.g., a peer-to-peer network,a device-to-device network, and/or the like). In this case, an anchornode may refer to a UE that is directly in communication with a basestation (e.g., an anchor base station or a non-anchor base station).

As indicated above, FIG. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of communicating usingan analog millimeter wave repeater, in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure.

Because millimeter wave communications have a higher frequency andshorter wavelength than other types of radio waves used forcommunications (e.g., sub-6 GHz communications), millimeter wavecommunications may have shorter propagation distances and may be moreeasily blocked by obstructions than other types of radio waves. Forexample, a wireless communication that uses sub-6 GHz radio waves may becapable of penetrating a wall of a building or a structure to providecoverage to an area on an opposite side of the wall from a base station110 that communicates using the sub-6 GHz radio waves. However, amillimeter wave may not be capable of penetrating the same wall (e.g.,depending on a thickness of the wall, a material from which the wall isconstructed, and/or the like). Some techniques and apparatuses describedherein use a millimeter wave repeater 140 to increase the coverage areaof a base station 110, to extend coverage to UEs 120 without line ofsight to the base station 110 (e.g., due to an obstruction), and/or thelike. Furthermore, the millimeter wave repeater 140 described herein maybe a layer 1 or an analog millimeter wave repeater, which is associatedwith a lower cost, less processing, and lower latency than a layer 2 orlayer 3 repeater.

As shown in FIG. 4 , a millimeter wave repeater 140 may performdirectional communication by using beamforming to communicate with abase station 110 via a first beam (e.g., a backhaul beam over a backhaullink with the base station 110) and to communicate with a UE 120 via asecond beam (e.g., an access beam over an access link with the UE 120).To achieve long propagation distances and/or to satisfy a required linkbudget, the millimeter wave repeater may use narrow beams (e.g., with abeamwidth less than a threshold) for such communications.

However, using a narrower beam requires the use of more resources of themillimeter wave repeater 140 (e.g., processing resources, memoryresources, power, battery power, and/or the like) and more networkresources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources,and/or the like), as compared to a wider beam, to perform beam training(e.g., to determine a suitable beam), beam maintenance (e.g., to findsuitable beam as conditions change due to mobility and/or the like),beam management, and/or the like. This may waste resources of themillimeter wave repeater 140 and/or network resources as compared tousing a wider beam, and may lead to increased cost of production ofmillimeter wave repeaters 140, which may be deployed extensivelythroughout a radio access network.

For example, a millimeter wave repeater 140 may be deployed in a fixedlocation with limited or no mobility, similar to a base station 110. Asshown in FIG. 4 , the millimeter wave repeater 140 may use a narrowerbeam to communicate with the base station 110 without unnecessarilyconsuming network resources and/or resources of the millimeter waverepeater 140 because the need for beam training, beam maintenance,and/or beam management may be limited, due to limited or no mobility ofthe base station 110 and the millimeter wave repeater 140 (and/or due toa line of sight communication path between the base station 110 and themillimeter wave repeater 140).

As further shown in FIG. 4 , the millimeter wave repeater 140 may use awider beam (e.g., a pseudo-omnidirectional beam and/or the like) tocommunicate with one or more UEs 120. This wider beam may provide widercoverage for access links, thereby providing coverage to mobile UEs 120without requiring frequent beam training, beam maintenance, and/or beammanagement. In this way, network resources and/or resources of themillimeter wave repeater 140 may be conserved. Furthermore, if themillimeter wave repeater 140 does not include digital signal processingcapabilities, resources of the base station 110 (e.g., processingresources, memory resources, and/or the like) may be conserved thatwould otherwise be used to perform such signal processing for themillimeter wave repeater 140, and network resources may be conservedthat would otherwise be used to communicate input to or output of suchprocessing between the base station 110 and the millimeter wave repeater140.

In this way, the millimeter wave repeater 140 may increase a coveragearea, provide access around obstructions (as shown), and/or the like,while conserving resources of the base station 110, resources of themillimeter wave repeater 140, network resources, and/or the like.Additional details are described below.

As indicated above, FIG. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 4 .

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating examples of a millimeter waverepeater 500, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. In some aspects, millimeter wave repeater 500 may correspondto millimeter wave repeater 140 shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 5A, in some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500may include one or more phased array antennas 510-1 through 510-N (N>1),a gain component 520, a controller 530, a communication component 540,and a multiplexer (MUX) and/or demultiplexer (DEMUX) (MUX/DEMUX) 550.

As shown in FIG. 5B, in some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500may include one or more metamaterial antennas 510′-1 through 510′-N,gain component 520, controller 530, communication component 540, and oneor more MUX/DEMUX 550.

An antenna 510/510′ includes one or more antenna elements capable ofbeing configured for beamforming. In some aspects, as illustrated inFIG. 5A, millimeter wave repeater 500 may include one or more phasedarray antennas 510, which may be referred to as a phased array becausephase values and/or phase offsets of the antenna elements may beconfigured to form a beam, with different phase values and/or phaseoffsets being used for different beams (e.g., in different directions).

In some aspects, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, millimeter wave repeater 500may include one or more metamaterial antennas 510′. In some aspects, ametamaterial antenna may comprise a synthetic material with negativepermittivity and/or permeability, which yields a negative refractiveindex. Due to the resulting superior antenna gain and electro-magneticlensing, the metamaterial antenna may not need to be used in aphased-array configuration. However, if in phased-array configuration,antenna spacing could be less than a typically used spacing of lambda/2,where lambda refers to a wavelength of the RF carrier signal. In someaspects, due to superior beamforming, the metamaterial antenna mayreduce leakage back to the RX antenna and may reduce a chance ofinstability in the RF chain. Hence, the use of metamaterial antennas mayreduce or obviate a need for a feedback path.

In some aspects, an antenna 510/510′ may be a fixed receive (RX) antennacapable of only receiving communications, and not transmittingcommunications. In some aspects, an antenna 510/510′ may be a fixedtransmit (TX) antenna capable of only transmitting communications, andnot receiving communications. In some aspects, an antenna 510/510′ maybe capable of being configured to act as an RX antenna or a TX antenna(e.g., via a TX/RX switch, a MUX/DEMUX, and/or the like). The antennas510/510′ may be capable of communicating using millimeter waves.

Gain component 520 includes a component capable of amplifying an inputsignal and outputting an amplified signal. For example, gain component520 may include a power amplifier, a variable gain component, and/or thelike. In some aspects, gain component 520 may have variable gaincontrol. The gain component 520 may connect to an RX antenna (e.g., afirst antenna 510/510′-1) and a TX antenna (e.g., a second antenna510/510′-2) such that an analog millimeter wave signal, received via theRX antenna, can be amplified by the gain component 520 and output to theTX antenna for transmission. In some aspects, the level of amplificationof the gain component 520 may be controlled by the controller 530.

Controller 530 includes a component capable of controlling one or moreother components of the millimeter wave repeater 500. For example, thecontroller 530 may include a controller, a microcontroller, a processor,and/or the like. In some aspects, the controller 530 may control thegain component 520 by controlling a level of amplification or gainapplied by the gain component 520 to an input signal. Additionally, oralternatively, the controller 530 may control an antenna 510/510′ bycontrolling a beamforming configuration for the antenna 510/510′ (e.g.,one or more phase values for the antenna 510/510′, one or more phaseoffsets for the antenna 510/510′, one or more power parameters for theantenna 510/510′, one or more beamforming parameters for the antenna510/510′, a TX beamforming configuration, an RX beamformingconfiguration, and/or the like), by controlling whether the antenna510/510′ acts as an RX antenna or a TX antenna (e.g., by configuringinteraction and/or connections between the antenna 510/510′ and aMUX/DEMUX 550), and/or the like. Additionally, or alternatively, thecontroller 530 may power on or power off one or more components ofmillimeter wave repeater 500 (e.g., when a base station 110 does notneed to use the millimeter wave repeater to serve UEs 120). In someaspects, the controller 530 may control a timing of one or more of theabove configurations.

Communication component 540 may include a component capable ofwirelessly communicating with a base station 110 using a wirelesstechnology other than millimeter wave. For example, the communicationcomponent 540 may communicate with the base station 110 using a personalarea network (PAN) technology (e.g., Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE), and/or the like), a 4G or LTE radio access technology, anarrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, a sub-6 GHztechnology, a visible light communication technology, and/the like. Insome aspects, the communication component 540 may use a lower frequencycommunication technology, and an antenna 510/510′ may use a higherfrequency communication technology (e.g., millimeter wave and/or thelike). In some aspects, an antenna 510/510′ may be used to transfer databetween the millimeter wave repeater 500 and the base station 110, andthe communication component 540 may be used to transfer controlinformation between the millimeter wave repeater 500 and the basestation 110 (e.g., a report, a configuration, instructions to power onor power off one or more components, and/or the like).

MUX/DEMUX 550 may be used to multiplex and/or demultiplex communicationsreceived from and/or transmitted to an antenna 510/510′. For example,MUX/DEMUX 550 may be used to switch an RX antenna to a TX antenna.

In some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 does not include anycomponents for digital signal processing. For example, the millimeterwave repeater 500 may not include a digital signal processor, a basebandprocessor, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an analog-to-digitalconverter (ADC), and/or the like. In this way, a cost to produce themillimeter wave repeater 500 may be reduced. Furthermore, latency may bereduced by eliminating digital processing of received millimeter wavesignals prior to transmission of corresponding amplified millimeter wavesignals.

In some aspects, one or more antennas 510/510′, gain component 520,controller 530, communication component 540, MUX/DEMUX 550, and/or thelike may perform one or more operations associated with timingconfiguration of the millimeter wave repeater 500, as described in moredetail elsewhere herein. For example, one or more components ofmillimeter wave repeater 500 may perform or direct operations of, forexample, process 700 of FIG. 7 , process 800 of FIG. 8 , and/or otherprocesses as described herein.

In some aspects, millimeter wave repeater 500 may include means fortransmitting, to base station 110 via a first interface, informationassociated with one or more capabilities of millimeter wave repeater500; means for communicating via at least one of the first interface ora second interface in accordance with an operation mode, the secondinterface being different from the first interface, and wherein theoperation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronousoperation mode; and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may includeone or more components of millimeter wave repeater 500 described inconnection with FIGS. 5A and 5B.

As indicated above, FIGS. 5A and 5B are provided as examples. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIGS. 5A and5B. For example, millimeter wave repeater 500 may include additionalcomponents, fewer components, different components, or differentlyarranged components than those shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Furthermore,two or more components shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B may be implementedwithin a single component, or a single component shown in FIGS. 5A and5B may be implemented as multiple components. Additionally, oralternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or more components) ofmillimeter wave repeater 500 may perform one or more functions describedas being performed by another set of components of millimeter waverepeater 500.

As described above, a mmW repeater 140 may include components thatenable receiving a signal on an RX antenna (e.g., antenna 510/510′-1)associated with a high frequency (HF) interface (e.g., a mmW interface),amplifying the power of the signal using gain component 520, andtransmitting the amplified signal on a TX antenna (e.g., antenna510/510′-2) associated with the HF interface. These operations may beorchestrated and/or controlled by controller 530. In some aspects, mmWrepeater 140 may include communication component 540 that enablescommunication via an LF interface (e.g., an interface that uses a sub-6GHz frequency) for transmission or reception of information associatedwith such control signals (e.g., to or from one or more base stations110).

At a given time, mmW repeater 140 may operate in an asynchronousoperation mode or, if capable, a synchronous operation mode. mmWrepeater 140 may have the capability to operate in the synchronousoperation when mmW repeater 140 has an internal clock (e.g., based atleast in part on a crystal oscillator associated with an LF interface)that is or can be synced to a clock of base station 110, and can be usedto set configurations of the HF interface of mmW repeater 140. Notably,in some cases, accuracy of the internal clock of mmW repeater 140 may belimited (e.g., since a narrow-band signal may be for itssynchronization), and hence may not be sufficiently accurate (e.g., atsample-level) for the HF. However, the accuracy of the internal clockmay be sufficient for HF symbol-level synchronization. In theasynchronous mode of operation, a configuration setting of the HFinterface may rely on (i.e., be triggered by) receipt of a controlcommand (e.g., rather than based at least in part on a timingconfiguration included in the control command).

Timing and synchronization capabilities may vary among mmW repeaters140. For example, whether a given mmW repeater 140 has the capability tooperate in the synchronous mode of operation may vary among mmWrepeaters 140. Further, among those mmW repeaters 140 having thecapability to operate in the synchronous mode, capabilities ofsynchronous operation may vary. These timing and synchronizationcapabilities may be taken into account by base station 110 when basestation 110 is to determine a timing configuration for a given mmWrepeater 140. Some aspects described herein provide techniques andapparatuses for a timing configuration of a mmW repeater 140.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example 600 of timing configurationfor a mmW repeater 140, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6 , and by reference number 605, mmW repeater 140 maytransmit information associated with one or more capabilities of mmWrepeater 140. In some aspects, the information associated with the oneor more capabilities of mmW repeater 140 includes information associatedwith timing, one or more synchronization capabilities of the repeater,or some combination thereof. In some aspects, mmW repeater 140 maytransmit the information associated with the one or more capabilitiesvia an LF interface of mmW repeater 140.

In some aspects, mmW repeater 140 may transmit the informationassociated with the one or more capabilities based at least in part on arequest transmitted by base station 110. For example, base station 110may transmit to mmW repeater 140 and via an LF interface of base station110, a request for the information associated with the one or morecapabilities of mmW repeater 140. Here, mmW repeater 140 may receive therequest via the LF interface of mmW repeater 140, and may transmit theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities based at leastin part on receiving the request.

In some aspects, mmW repeater 140 may transmit the informationassociated with the one or more capabilities after establishing aconnection between mmW repeater 140 and base station 110. For example,mmW repeater 140 and base station 110 may establish a connection viatheir respective LF interfaces, and mmW repeater 140 may transmit theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities via the LFinterface of the mmW repeater 140 after the connection is established.

In some aspects, the information associated with the one or morecapabilities includes an indication of whether mmW repeater 140 cansupport synchronous operation. In other words, the informationassociated with the one or more capabilities may include an indicationof whether mmW repeater 140 has the capability to operate in thesynchronous mode of operation. In some aspects, when mmW repeater 140has the capability to operate in the synchronous mode, the informationassociated with the one or more capabilities may include informationindicating an accuracy level of synchronicity (e.g., informationindicating accuracy of the internal clock of mmW repeater 140 in termsof, for example, an HF sampling rate).

In some aspects, when mmW repeater 140 has the capability to operate inthe synchronous mode, the information associated with the one or morecapabilities may include information indicating whether the internalclock of mmW repeater 140 can be tuned.

In some aspects, the information associated with the one or morecapabilities includes information that identifies a processing time fora procedure performed by mmW repeater 140. In some aspects, theprocessing time is associated with the LF interface of mmW repeater 140and the HF interface of mmW repeater 140 (e.g., the processing time maybe a sum of processing times associated with the LF interface and the HFinterface, a maximum of processing times associated with the LFinterface and the HF interface, a minimum of processing times associatedwith the LF interface and the HF interface, and/or the like). In someaspects, the processing time may be procedure-specific (e.g., differentHF procedures may have different processing times). For example, theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities may includeinformation that identifies a first processing time for changing abeamforming configuration, a second processing time for setting a powerlevel gain, a third processing time for switching TX/RX directions, andso on.

As further shown in FIG. 6 , base station 110 may receive theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities and, as shownby reference number 610, may determine an operation mode for mmWrepeater 140 based at least in part on the information associated withthe one or more capabilities. For example, base station 110 may receivethe information associated with the one or more capabilities and, basedat least in part on the information associated with the one or morecapabilities of mmW repeater 140, may select an operation mode for mmWrepeater 140. In some aspects, the operation mode is the asynchronousoperation mode. In some aspects, the operation mode is the synchronousoperation mode.

As further shown in FIG. 6 , and by reference number 615, base station110 may, in some aspects, indicate the operation mode to mmW repeater140 via the LF interface of the mmW repeater 140.

In some aspects, base station 110 may explicitly indicate the operationmode to mmW repeater 140. For example, base station 110 may transmit, tommW repeater 140, a control command including information thatidentifies the operation mode for an upcoming communication (e.g., suchthat the operation mode is semi-statically configured). As anotherexample, base station 110 may dynamically set the operation mode of mmWrepeater 140. As a particular example, assuming that mmW repeater 140supports both synchronous and asynchronous operation modes, base station110 may provide a control command to set a configuration of an HFinterface of mmW repeater 140. Here, base station 110 can also indicatean associated timing configuration that identifies the operation mode,such as whether the configuration for the HF interface is to be setimmediately after mmW repeater 140 receives the control command (i.e.,indicating that mmW repeater 140 is to operate in the asynchronous mode)or in accordance with a particular timeline (i.e., indicating that mmWrepeater 140 is to operate in the synchronous mode).

In some aspects, base station 110 may implicitly indicate the operationmode to mmW repeater 140. For example, mmW repeater 140 may beconfigured with a default operation mode (e.g., asynchronous). Here, mmWrepeater 140 may operate in the default operation mode until basestation 110 explicitly configures or changes the operation mode. Thus,base station 110 can implicitly indicate the operation mode by providinga control command (e.g., a control command including informationassociated with a configuration for the HF interface of mmW repeater140) that does not include information indicating the operation mode.

In some aspects, as described above, base station 110 may indicate theoperation mode by communicating a control command to mmW repeater 140via the LF interface. In some aspects, the control command may include atiming configuration field, and the operation mode may be indicated inthe timing configuration field of the control command, as describedbelow. In some aspects, the control command may include otherinformation, such as information associated with a configuration for theHF interface of mmW repeater 140.

In some aspects, when the operation mode is the synchronous operationmode, the timing configuration field may identify a start time (e.g., atime at which mmW repeater 140 is to start applying a configurationincluded in the control command). In some aspects, the start time may bean absolute start time. For example, the start time may identify aparticular time-domain resource at which mmW repeater 140 is to beginapplying a configuration included in the control command. In someaspects, the absolute start time may have a granularity at an LFsymbol-level. Additionally, or alternatively, the start time may be anoffset with respect to a receipt time of the control command. Forexample, the start time may identify an amount of time from receipt ofthe control command after which mmW repeater 140 is to begin applying aconfiguration included in the control command.

In some aspects, when the operation mode is the synchronous operationmode, the timing configuration may identify a duration. The duration mayidentify, for example, an amount of time that mmW repeater 140 is toapply the configuration included in the control command (e.g., an amountof time that mmW repeater 140 is to apply configuration starting at thestart time). In some aspects, when the operation mode is the synchronousoperation mode, the duration may be indefinite (e.g., such that mmWrepeater 140 applies the configuration until a different timingconfiguration is received).

In some aspects, when the operation mode is the synchronous operationmode, the timing configuration may identify a periodicity. Theperiodicity may identify, for example, a periodicity at which mmWrepeater 140 is to apply the configuration included in the controlcommand.

In some aspects, when the operation mode is the synchronous operationmode, the timing configuration may identify a bitmap. The bitmap mayidentify, for example, particular sets of time-domain resources duringwhich mmW repeater 140 is to apply the configuration included in thecontrol command and/or particular sets of time-domain resources duringwhich mmW repeater 140 is not to apply the configuration included in thecontrol command. In some aspects, the bit map may have a granularity ata system frame level or half-frame level. In some aspects, the bitmapmay have an associated periodicity (e.g., a periodicity at which thebitmap is to be applied).

As shown in FIG. 6 , in some aspects, mmW repeater 140 may receive theindication of the operation mode and, as shown by reference number 620,may communicate via the HF interface or the LF interface according tothe operation mode (e.g., based at least in part on the timingconfiguration included in the control command). For example, mmWrepeater 140 may receive the indication of the operation mode, and mayfurther communicate (e.g., transmit information, receive information,forward a signal, and/or the like) over the HF interface in accordancewith the operation mode.

In some aspects, base station 110 may not indicate the operation mode tommW repeater 140. In such a case, mmW repeater 140 may determine theoperation mode to be used by mmW repeater 140 (e.g., based at least inpart on the one or more capabilities of mmW repeater 140), and mayoperate in the determined operation mode (without an indication frombase station 110).

In some aspects, base station 110 may communicate with mmW repeater 140via the LF interface or the HF interface in accordance with theoperation mode and processing capabilities of mmW repeater 140.

As indicated above, FIG. 6 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with respect to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process 700 performed, forexample, by a base station, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Example process 700 is an example where a basestation (e.g., base station 110) performs operations associated withtiming configuration for a repeater (e.g., mmW repeater 140).

As shown in FIG. 7 , in some aspects, process 700 may include receiving,from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface,information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater,the second interface being different from the first interface (block710). For example, the base station (e.g., using antenna 234, receiveprocessor 238, controller/processor 240, and/or the like) may receive,from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface,information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, asdescribed above. In some aspects, the report may include informationassociated with timing and one or more synchronization capabilities ofthe repeater. In some aspects, the second interface may be differentfrom the first interface.

As further shown in FIG. 7 , in some aspects, process 700 may includedetermining an operation mode for the repeater based at least in part onthe information associated with the one or more capabilities of therepeater (block 720). For example, the base station (e.g., usingcontroller/processor 240, memory 242, and/or the like) may determine anoperation mode for the repeater based at least in part on theinformation associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, asdescribed above. In some aspects, the operation mode may be determinedto be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operationmode.

As further shown in FIG. 7 , in some aspects, process 700 may includecommunicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interfaceor the second interface in accordance with the determined operation mode(block 730). For example, the base station (e.g., using antenna 234,transmit processor 220, controller/processor 240, and/or the like) maycommunicate with the repeater via at least one of the first interface orthe second interface in accordance with the determined operation mode,as described above.

Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, the base station may establish a connection with therepeater via the first interface.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, thefirst interface is a low frequency interface and the second interface isa millimeter wave interface. In a third aspect, alone or in combinationwith one or more of the first and second aspects, the informationassociated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication ofwhether the repeater can support synchronous operation.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through third aspects, the information associated with the one ormore capabilities includes an indication of an accuracy level ofsynchronization.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough fourth aspects, the information associated with the one or morecapabilities includes information that identifies a processing time fora procedure performed by the repeater.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough fifth aspects, the base station may transmit, to the repeater, arequest for the information associated with one or more capabilities ofthe repeater.

In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through sixth aspect, the base station may indicate the operationmode to the repeater via the first interface.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through seventh aspects, the operation mode is indicated bycommunicating a control command to the repeater via the first interface,the control command including an indication of the operation mode.

In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough eighth aspects, the operation mode is explicitly indicated bythe base station.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough ninth aspects, the operation mode is implicitly indicated by thebase station.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through tenth aspects, the operation mode is indicated in a timingconfiguration field of a control command.

In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through eleventh aspects, timing configuration field identifies astart time of synchronous operation when the operation mode is asynchronous operation mode.

In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through twelfth aspects, the start time is an absolute start time.

In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through thirteenth aspects, the start time is an offset withrespect to a receipt time of the control command.

In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through fourteenth aspects, the timing configuration fieldidentifies a duration of synchronous operation when the operation modeis a synchronous operation mode.

In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through fifteenth aspects, the timing configuration fieldidentifies a periodicity of synchronous operation when the operationmode is a synchronous operation mode.

In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through sixteenth aspects, the timing configuration identifies abitmap associated with synchronous operation when the operation mode isa synchronous operation mode.

In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through seventeenth aspects, the communication is based at leastin part on a beamforming configuration.

Although FIG. 7 shows example blocks of process 700, in some aspects,process 700 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 7 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 700may be performed in parallel.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process 800 performed, forexample, by a repeater, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Example process 800 is an example where a repeater(e.g., mmW repeater 140) performs operations associated with timingconfiguration of the repeater.

As shown in FIG. 8 , in some aspects, process 800 may includetransmitting, to a base station (e.g., base station 110) via a firstinterface, information associated with one or more capabilities of therepeater (block 810). For example, the repeater (e.g., using controller530, communication component 540, and/or the like) may transmit, to abase station via a first interface, information associated with one ormore capabilities of the repeater, as described above. In some aspects,the report may include information associated with timing and one ormore synchronization capabilities of the repeater.

As further shown in FIG. 8 , in some aspects, process 800 may includecommunicating via at least one of the first interface or a secondinterface in accordance with an operation mode, the second interfacebeing different from the first interface (block 820). For example, therepeater (e.g., using controller 530, communication component 540,antenna 510/510′, and/or the like) may communicate via at least one ofthe first interface or a second interface in accordance with anoperation mode, as described above. In some aspects, the secondinterface may be different from the first interface. In some aspects,the operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or asynchronous operation mode.

Process 800 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, the repeater may establish a connection with the basestation via the first interface.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, thefirst interface is a low frequency interface and the second interface isa millimeter wave interface.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstand second aspects, the asynchronous operation mode is to cause therepeater to implement a command upon receipt of the command.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through third aspects, the information associated with the one ormore capabilities includes an indication of whether the repeater cansupport synchronous operation.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough fourth aspects, the information associated with the one or morecapabilities includes information that identifies a processing time fora procedure performed by the repeater.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough fifth aspects, the repeater may receive, from the base station,a request for the information associated with one or more capabilitiesof the repeater.

In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through sixth aspects, the repeater may receive an indication ofthe operation mode for the repeater.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through seventh aspects, the operation mode is indicated in acontrol command received via the first interface, the control commandincluding an indication of the operation mode.

In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough eighth aspects, the operation mode is explicitly indicated tothe repeater.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the firstthrough ninth aspects, the operation mode is implicitly indicated to therepeater.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through tenth aspects, the operation mode is indicated in a timingconfiguration field of a control command.

In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through eleventh aspects, the timing configuration identifies astart time of synchronous operation when the operation mode is asynchronous operation mode.

In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through twelfth aspects, the start time is an absolute start time.

In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through thirteenth aspects, the start time is an offset withrespect to a receipt time of the control command.

In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through fourteenth aspects, the timing configuration identifies aduration of synchronous operation when the operation mode is asynchronous operation mode.

In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through fifteenth aspects, the timing configuration identifies aperiodicity of synchronous operation when the operation mode is asynchronous operation mode.

In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through sixteenth aspects, the timing configuration identifies abitmap associated with synchronous operation when the operation mode isa synchronous operation mode.

In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of thefirst through seventeenth aspects, the communication is based at leastin part on a beamforming configuration.

Although FIG. 8 shows example blocks of process 800, in some aspects,process 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 8 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 800may be performed in parallel.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of theabove disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Asused herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software.

Some aspects are described herein in connection with thresholds. As usedherein, satisfying a threshold, depending on the context, may refer to avalue being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to thethreshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold,equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, and/or the like.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may beimplemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combinationof hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware orsoftware code used to implement these systems and/or methods is notlimiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systemsand/or methods were described herein without reference to specificsoftware code—it being understood that software and hardware can bedesigned to implement the systems and/or methods based, at least inpart, on the description herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many ofthese features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependentclaim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosureof various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination withevery other claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to “at least oneof” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, includingsingle members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intendedto cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combinationwith multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c,a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering ofa, b, and c).

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include oneor more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination ofrelated and unrelated items, and/or the like), and may be usedinterchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, thephrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, theterms “has,” “have,” “having,” and/or the like are intended to beopen-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean“based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. (canceled)
 2. An apparatus for wireless communication at a repeater,comprising: at least one memory; one or more processors coupled to theat least one memory, the one or more processors configured to: transmitinformation associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater toa network node via a first interface, the repeater having the firstinterface and a second interface that is different from the firstinterface, the information associated with one or more capabilities ofthe repeater including information associated with one or moreprocessing times; and communicate with the network node via the firstinterface based at least in part on the information associated with theone or more processing times.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, whereincontrol signals are communicated between the repeater and the networknode via the first interface and signals are forwarded to one or moreuser equipments via the second interface.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the one or more processing times are associated with one or moreprocedures performed by the repeater.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein the one or more processing times associated with the one or moreprocedures are different processing times. one of:
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the one or more procedures are at least changingbeamforming configuration; or setting a power level gain; or switchingtransmit or receive directions; or any combination thereof.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processing times include afirst processing time associated with the first interface of therepeater and a second processing time associated with the secondinterface of the repeater.
 8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeaterfurther includes information associated with timing, one or moresynchronization capabilities of the repeater, or some combinationthereof.
 9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processorsare further configured to: receive a control command via the firstinterface, the control command including a timing configuration filed.10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the timing configurationidentifies a start time, and wherein the start time is an absolute starttime or an offset with respect to a receipt time of the control command.11. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node,comprising: at least one memory; one or more processors coupled to theat least one memory, the one or more processors configured to: receiveinformation associated with one or more capabilities of a repeater via afirst interface of the repeater, the repeater having the first interfaceand a second interface that is different from the first interface, theinformation associated with one or more capabilities of the repeaterincluding information associated with one or more processing times ofthe repeater; and communicate with the repeater via the first interfacebased at least in part on the information associated with the one ormore processing times.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein controlsignals are communicated between the repeater and the network node viathe first interface and signals are forwarded to one or more userequipments via the second interface.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein the one or more processing times are associated with one or moreprocedures performed by the repeater.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein the one or more processing times associated with the one or moreprocedures are different processing times.
 15. The apparatus of claim13, wherein the one or more procedures are at least one of: changingbeamforming configuration; or setting a power level gain; or switchingtransmit or receive directions; or any combination thereof.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing times includea first processing time associated with the first interface of therepeater and a second processing time associated with the secondinterface of the repeater.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theinformation associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeaterfurther includes information associated with timing, one or moresynchronization capabilities of the repeater, or some combinationthereof.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein to communicate with therepeater via the first interface, the one or more processors areconfigured to communicate a control command to the repeater via thefirst interface.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controlcommand includes a timing configuration field that identifies a starttime.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the start time is one of anabsolute start time or an offset with respect to a receipt time of thecontrol command.
 21. A method for wireless communication at a repeater,comprising: transmitting information associated with one or morecapabilities of the repeater to a network node via a first interface,the repeater having the first interface and a second interface that isdifferent from the first interface, the information associated with oneor more capabilities of the repeater including information associatedwith one or more processing times; and communicating with the networknode via the first interface based at least in part on the informationassociated with the one or more processing times.